China provides expert help and grant to digitalise Sri Lanka education
View(s):The National Education Digitalisation Grant Initiative launched this week with support from China is a major milestone in the country’s journey to modernise education and build a digitally empowered nation, Deputy Minister of Education Madhura Senevirathna said.
The project scope was designed by the ministry and expert teams from China, who visited Sri Lanka at multiple stages to study local needs and conditions.
The design also reflects lessons learned from China’s own education digitalisation journey, where digital platforms and artificial intelligence are used in general education. This collaboration helped Sri Lanka adopt proven approaches while tailoring them to local realities.
The key components of the initiative include a national Education Cloud Data Centre at the ministry, serving as the digital backbone of the system, a nationwide distance learning platform, nearly 900 modern smart classrooms, equipped with interactive learning tools and AI-supported features, and a centralised monitoring and operations centre to ensure reliability, security, and sustainability.
Dr Senevirathna said that this integrated approach ensures that digital education services are coordinated and aligned with national standards and will make distance learning more interactive and accessible.
A major focus of the grant is strengthening distance learning in a way that is engaging and effective.
The system supports live interactive online classes, web-based streaming for large audiences, possibility of future integration with mass media platforms such as television, secure recording and archival of lessons for revision and reuse and two-way interaction between teachers and students.
He said that this will allow quality education to reach students regardless of location, helping to reduce disparities between urban and rural schools and ensuring continuity of learning during disruptions.
Under this government-to-government grant framework, world-leading education technologies from China are being deployed, with leading technology giants serving as the technology provider. Officials noted that the focus remains firmly on the grant, national ownership, and long-term public benefit.
China places strong national emphasis on education digitalisation and the integration of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, into teaching and learning.
Dr Senevirathna said that the initiative represents Phase 1 of a broader national education digitalisation programme. So far a Chinese grant of USD 20 million has been spent on the project.
Future phases are planned to expand digital classrooms to more schools, strengthen teacher training and digital skills and introduce additional learning technologies aligned with education reforms.
The government has reaffirmed its commitment to continue cooperation with China to support this expansion.
Aligned with National Policy and Sustainable Development, this initiative supports ongoing education reforms focused on quality, equity, and relevance, the national digitalisation framework led by the Ministry of Digital Economy and Sri Lanka’s commitment to sustainable development, inclusive growth, and equal access to education. -DW
HitAd.lk is the best and biggest mobile phone market in Sri Lanka, and we guarantee you will find what you need here from our extensive listing of mobile phones for sale in Sri Lanka. Whether it’s a budget-priced smartphone for communication, or higher end features with advanced connectivity, there are many different options from which to choose from on our site!